- More Bike Parks, More Bikes means More Fun at Kona-sponsored Venues Around World –

KONAWORLD (February 13, 2008) – Since 1998, when we joined forces with Whistler Resort in British Columbia to create the first Kona Groove Approved Bike Park, we have been the leader in developing exciting, sustainable bike parks throughout the world. And we haven’t stopped. This year we have added four new Groove Approved venues to our dirt-filled quiver.

In the U.S., Kona has joined forces with the oldest bike park in the world – Mammoth, CA. Boasting 90 miles of trails, 3,000 feet of vert, guided bike tours and full rental bike service, Mammoth Bike Park is equipped for adventure in 2008. Offering riding for all ability levels, the new bike park also includes a shuttle, two gondolas and two chairlifts.

In addition, we have established three new European bike parks in Klappen, Sweden, Leysin, Switzerland and La Molina, Spain. Situated in the Pyrenees and developed by the Misser brothers, the La Molina bike park features a gondola, seven DH and XC trails boasting 2,000 feet of vert, four-star hotels and stellar rental bikes. This year, the resort will host the Open Bike Parks Pirineus and Territorio Hermida events.

And continuing where we left off last year, our rental bike fleets at both our Kona Groove Approved Bike Park and Kona Bike Park programs will feature a wide variety of Garbanzo bikes for the young and not-so-young. For those fearless mini-rippers who have endless energy and stay out from dawn til dusk, the programs offer the specifically-designed Garbanzo 2-4 and Shred 2-0. Older riders can saddle bikes like the Garbanzo Stinky SC, Garbanzo Supreme, Garbanzo Shred dirt jumper and the XC-slayer Garbanzo Dawg. Bikes will vary at each venue.

Within the last year, our Kona Groove Approved Bike Parks have been the sites for world-class competitions. Consisting of DH, XC, 4X and DJ areas, some of the comps included the Kona 24hr event (Levi); Out-of-Bounds Weekend and 26Trixs events (Leogang); Nissan Big Air (Livigno), Crankworx Colorado and Whistler, as well as numerous World Cup events. This year Nissan will be sponsoring our European Bike Parks and will assist with event support, trail signage and promotional items, and much more to help improve the riders experience. As always, officials from ALL Kona Bike Parks will meet once a year to discuss important topics such as Bike Park alliances, trail guidelines, marketing, and more to ensure the most consistent and best service possible.

The Kona Bike Park Passport is back for 2008 too. If you’re interested in Kona bikes and sweet deals (you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t) then there’s a Passport out there waiting for your signature. Included with the purchase of all 2008 Kona bikes, the Passport is your bridge to full descriptions of all Kona Groove Approved Bike Parks, aswell as discounts at each venue that include hotels, restaurants and lift
passes.

About the Kona Bicycle Company:
The Kona Bicycle Company designs, manufacturers and distributes more than 60 models of purpose-built, high-performance mountain, road and urban bicycles. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Ferndale, Washington, USA, Kona bicycles are distributed worldwide in more than 60 countries through independent specialty bicycle dealers. Kona funds several professional road, mountain and cyclo-cross racing teams that include World Cup Champions, World Champions and National Champions. For more information check www.konaworld.com or contact Keith Cozzens at Base Camp Communications, kcozzens@basecampcomm.com or 307.734.7575.

source: Keith Cozzens

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